Konoha's Panther
by StasisApyr
Summary: Bleach cross-over. After his defeat at the hands of Ichigo, Grimmjow finds out that this is not the end of his life. Given an offer which he could not refuse, he found himself stuck within a boy who would be his successor. How will this divine intervention reshape the Elemental Nations? - Grimmjow-like Naruto, AU, Minato and Kushina alive - REUPLOAD


**This is a long-lost story of mine. I've removed the story from my page a couple years ago during a drunken stupor, and since then I've been only able to recover the first chapter. However, thanks to an archive package on a remote website I managed to recover the whole story.**

 **The first chapter is revamped by a slight margin, mostly language wise. I will try to upload the next chapters in a weekly/bi-weekly manner, depending on how much spare time I have and how much I will change them.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach, each story belongs to their authors respectively.**

* * *

To the sound of heartbeat fading away slowly, regret and shame was all he felt, for he lied on his back in the pool of his own blood. With eyes barely open and with blood trickling down his mouth, his bloodshot eyes gazed upon the clear sky of Hueco Mundo. _"So this is how it ends?"_ He mused , paying no mind to the sounds of swords clashing nearby, as his life force slowly slipped away. _"I guess there's no escaping_ _my fate_ _…_ _but what awaits me after death?"_ _With_ a painful wheezing breath in hid brittle state, he attempted to hold onto his dear life, as his soul slowly crumbled to dust. _"Cursed traitor back stabbing_ _me…"_ He swore mentally, trying uselessly to breathe. _"Never_ _would_ _I believe this_ _…_ _me, dying. I just hope_ _that Kurosaki will murder that bastard_ _Aizen…"_

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, for that was the name of the sixth Espada, closed his eyes for the last time in this realm. The world of Hueco Mundo would never see the likes of him again. The self-proclaimed Panther King truly was one of a kind. _"At least I can rest now…_ _"_ He convinced himself and caved in to the pull of a place somewhere deep, somewhere neither below nor above, inside or out.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the sixth Espada and the proudest Arrancar to ever exist, passed away. The king was dead, yet the king shall long live, for unbeknown to him, someone was on the watch.

* * *

Surrounded by an ocean of darkness, his face numb and mind disoriented, for a long while he did not know what to do as he floated in the void. As soon as he tried to take a breath, his instincts screamed as none came. His body started thrashing, before he started swimming upwards toward what he hoped was the surface. _"What the fuck is going on!"_ Grimmjow screamed inwardly. _"Where's the fucking surface!"_ _He panicked, kicking his legs frantically._

"Do you mind stopping thrashing around like a fish stranded?" An old, tired voice resonated through Grimmjow, and as suddenly as it came, the feeling of drowning went away. The dark, cold water vanished as if it never existed in the first place, giving way to soft sand. "Although, you do look comical trying to mimic a drowning lungfish."

Where a moment before was water, Grimmjow found himself lying in sand. With a brief cough and a wipe of his hand, he quickly collected himself and stood up to face the strange mocking person. "What…" He said to himself, as he faced an old man in white robes. "Who in the flying fuck are you and…" He paused for a moment to take a look at his unimpressive, desert surroundings. "...and where the hell am I?" He asked, receiving a silent shake of the old man's head.

"Right now, we are nowhere. Explaining this to you is not of the utmost importance right now, but if you insist, we are in what you would call a limbo. A place between life and death. An interdimensional purgatory of sorts." The aged stranger explained concisely. Grimmjow nodded dumbly, and nearly pointed out how ridiculous that explanation seemed, when he remembered that he should be as dead as dead people are. The man's features struck him as unfamiliar, yet not off putting. A pair of short horns extending out from his head and an orb in his forehead seemed relatively normal from where Grimmjow came from. "What you need to know, is that you aren't entirely dead, dear Grimmjow. Not yet at least. I am afraid that there are responsibilities for you to attend to, before we let you move on."

The dumbstruck Grimmjow blinked twice before repeating himself. "First of all, who the hell are you and how do you know my name?" He was taken aback by the stranger's appearance, the fact that he was dying a few moments ago, as well as the fact that the man in front of him, despite his age, held an aura of dominion and supremacy. Grimmjow did know several beings who far outclassed him in power, but this wrinkly old man held a place in a league far beyond theirs. If there ever was a time when Grimmjow should be polite for once, it was now. "Or rather should I ask, what do you mean I'm not dead?"

"I've been watching you for quite some time now, Grimmjow." The old man spoke again. "Perhaps I should introduce myself before I get to the point of our discussion here. My name is Hagoromo Otsutsuki, someone you would call The Sage of Six Paths. Although, I highly doubt you have heard of me as I do not exist physically in any universe, yours especially." The now introduced Sage explained briefly. The news of the man not existing in any dimension spelled confusion all over Grimmjow's face, something which brought a very small smile on the Sage's own.

"You do not exist anywhere? Are you a god, a ghost or whatever the fuck you can be?" Grimmjow growled, the white mask on his face clicking softly with each word. "Listen, I just died, and I have no idea what is going on and I'm rather freaked out." Grimmjow was frightened by the presence of the Sage. He could not feel any of his Reiatsu, and the pressure that oozed out of Hagoromo made his skin crawl.

"You're correct. I am what you could call a god. The reason why you are here is simple, I need your help to save my realm." The Sage explained and materialized a dark staff into his hand, slamming it down into the ground producing a loud echo. "We don't have much time to talk, Grimmjow. You will help me, unless you want to be sent straight to hell."

The Arrancar's eyes narrowed, trying to spot any traces of bluff from the old man. Finding none, he decided to keep listening. "Alright, go on…" Crossing his arms on his chest, he observed the sand dunes shifting quietly, forming an enormous frame. "It's not like I can refuse since I'm technically dead, correct?"

"That is correct, but not for long. You see, we are in a place that had not been visited by anyone but me in a very long time." The aged Sage said and pointed to the frame. "This is how I observe what is happening in the realm of my supervision. I can watch nearly its entire time-line all the way to the very origins of the universe, halt the flow of time of present, and briefly see the flashes of future…" Hagoromo said and flicked his staff. An image of a dried wasteland formed in the window. "There is a mournful aspect to it, however, as I can only do just that, observe. As I told you, I do not exist anywhere physically, nowhere but here. My old body has long since withered away, stripping me of the possibility of interfering with the world's events." He turned to face Grimmjow, his wrinkly face armed with burning determination. "I am telling you this, because that is the very reason I requested the Spirit King's assistance.

"The Spirit King offered you his help?" Grimmjow blurted out with disbelief in his voice. Up until now he was listening diligently, but now all of this seemed as a huge joke. "You can't be fucking serious. What is this? Some kind of test before I am either flung to Hell or reincarnated as a parrot?" He kept ranting, until a heavy weight came tumbling down upon his shoulders, forcing him down onto his knees. Visions of helpless eternal suffering clouded his sight, the screaming of a thousand souls stripped of their personalities resonated in his ears. His body felt as if it was freezing and burning at the same time. It soon dissipated however, leaving Grimmjow gasping for air.

"I do not wish to force you to experience what you could end up experiencing for the rest of the eternity, and you have no other choice. We are running out of time. The Spirit King agreed to my terms, and it is up to you to choose whether you want to be flung to Hell, or to be offered a second chance." Hagoromo spoke as Grimmjow collected himself. "So, what is your answer? Will you help me?"

The Arrancar scratched his forehead thoughtfully, and soon enough he answered. "Anything is better than rotting in the fucking Hell, I guess." He nodded to the Sage, knowing that it was better to obey his request. "Alright, go on. I'll help you."

"Good!" The Sage smiled at him. "As I told you, except observing my world I can do nothing about what will happen to it. I can't directly intervene in the affairs of the living. However, with your help I can do it indirectly. You see, I am able to transfer your soul into the body of a child who is my descendant."

"Wait, am I supposed to take over some kid's body?" Grimmjow asked with a tinge of disgust in his voice. "Listen old man, I may be willing to help, I may have done savage things in my life, but I will not take a part in ripping out a child's soul." He growled, instinctively reaching for his blade.

Hagoromo merely smiled at the Arrancar. "As I said, I will place you inside an infant. A boy in fact. He is the one of the two Children of Prophecy, the ones destined to save the world and you will guide him. No soul reaping, no body and mind take over. Does that sound good?"

Grimmjow gave a brief sigh and nodded, his hand leaving the hilt of his sword. "So am I supposed to be his teacher? Will that make him my successor of sort?" He asked, to which the Sage nodded. "Well he'll need my Reiryoku to get anywhere with my techniques…" Grimmjow said and thought a little. He liked the idea of having a proper successor. It was appealing to him, as he haven't had a chance to produce one before. His Fraccion - a rank of subordinates - were too inferior to be trained properly.

"That will pose no problem. Every living human in this realm contains a small amount of Reiryoku. Although, while they mainly use Chakra, making their Reiryoku to beinsignificant, the presence of your soul within Naruto will change that. You will find out once you get to work." Hagoromo explained once again, keeping a collected and wise aura around himself. With a wave of his hand, the image in the window changed once again, this time showing a large village surrounded by a forest that seemed to extend in every direction, almost like an ocean. "This is Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It's a powerful village that has ninja as its major military force." Grimmjow was about to burst out in laughter and speak about nonsense, but the Sage would have none of it. "Yes, ninja. don't be too surprised. After all, aren't you a bundle of thousands of hollow souls? Don't even bother to answer. Now back to the topic, in about a month, a powerful demon will be released upon the village, devastating it, but before this happens I will place you within the yet unborn child. Naruto."

The Arrancar narrowed his eyes at the news of a demon attack. Having no idea how powerful the entities of this world are, he did not have a proper way of scaling anything. "Anything I should know before you send me there?" He asked.

"Ah, there is." The old man began. "I've already seen parts of the near future and it's about Naruto. The kid… He will slowly distance himself from the family because of you. Your presence within him will most likely overwrite his father's genes, changing his appearance and most likely behavior. He will feel like he does not belong there, and it will be your job to guide him once you awaken. It will be your job to give him a father he should have." He explained, surprising Grimmjow once again.

"Me as a father? You've got to be kidding me… you do realize that I am literally the model of what a father should not be?"

Hagoromo burst out with laughter. "Oh, don't worry about that, I'm sure you will manage it." He assured him. "Naruto will probably inherit some of your traits, your savagery, love for combat and even that lethally short temper of yours, unfortunately." He groaned at the thought of Grimmjow's temperament, which irritated the Arrancar.

"Shut the fuck up, old man." Grimmjow spoke with very annoyed voice, amusing the old man.

"That is exactly what I am talking about!"

Grimmjow sighed and collected himself, putting of his anger. "Alright, that is definitely better than suffering in Hell. Bring it on."

The Sage smiled. "Oh, before I send you there, this is a gift for Naruto." He said and tossed Grimmjow a green scroll, the size of a bottle of water. "You'll figure what that is later, now take care!" He shouted and snapped his fingers, knocking Grimmjow out and transferring him into Naruto's body.

* * *

 _Nine years later_

Through the busy streets of Konoha, a young boy navigated between the crowds of merchants and shinobi running errands. It was no ordinary child, for even though he bore no resemblance, was the Hokage's only son. With crimson red hair tucked beneath a hood, hiding the many blue streaks that sullied his bloody mane, he trotted towards the village's academy. With his eyes fixed on the ground, he barely noticed a large shopping cart that nearly ran into him. He jumped out of the way, glaring angrily at the cart's owner. "Watch where you're pushing that cart around, idiot!" The boy bellowed at the merchant, staring at the middle-aged man with his sharp blue eyes, his gaze amplified by the pale green markings on the sides of his eyes. The cart owner blurted out a quick apology and disappeared into the crowd after recognizing the boy by his crimson hair.

Not bothering to make a huge deal out of this, the boy sighed and continued on his way towards the academy. His name was Namikaze Naruto, although his parentage was not a subject he even mildly cared about. He wasn't entirely convinced that the village's Hokage, Namikaze Minato, was actually his father. They shared no similarities between each other. The shape of his face, his hair, even his eyes were different from his father's. The only person he shared similarities with, was his mother. Obviously, the blood red hair was exactly the shade of Kushina's, and the temperament he had was as fierce as hers. Naruto released a deep sigh he held for a brief moment and ran a hand through his hair, combing back the annoying blue strand of hair from the middle of his forehead.

Namikaze Minato, without a doubt the most famous person in the village, and the most infamous shinobi in the world, was no ordinary man. He was a tall person with a lean built body, a golden mop of spiky hair and a pair of dark blue eyes ornamenting his face. He was known as the Yellow Flash of Konoha. His title received by his terrifying speed that he obtained from mastering the art of Fuinjutsu - the sealing arts. His fame came not only from the sheer speed, but also from his cunningness, wisdom ,and love for his comrades. He already was known in the world as one of the finest shinobi to be born ever.

Naruto's mother, on the other hand, was a red haired beauty. A fierce woman, the Hokage's wife and the former Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tailed Demon, Kyuubi. It is told that she was the one who taught Minato her clan's sealing arts. Above all she is known for being a violent shinobi by her enemies, and a caring person by her comrades.

Having arrived at the academy, Naruto pushed the doors open and entered the building. Taking his sweet time finding his classroom, which conveniently was placed on the first floor, after a couple minutes, he entered the loud class, in which his teacher was trying to hold a lecture.

"Naruto, you're late. Again!" A tall, tanned man yelled. Umino Iruka, a Chunnin shinobi and an instructor at the academy ever since he came back from a mission injured, was one of the few people that Naruto moderately liked. He also enjoyed mocking the scar on the teacher's face as well.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the teacher's complains. "Yeah, I'm late again. Who gives a damn?" He muttered and ignored Iruka's protest regarding Naruto's choice of language. Seating himself in the only vacant seat at the back of the class, Naruto pulled down his hood and propped up his head with his hands.

Iruka sighed at Naruto's antics. The boy's ignorance and behavior was beyond him. Choosing not to press on the matter any longer, he continued his lecture. He closed the book in his hand with a loud clap, silencing the classroom. "Now, who can tell me, what were the circumstances of the Third Hokage's death?" Naruto raised his eyebrows at the question. That was a new one, although the knowledge was fairly public.

A girl in a gray and sleeveless jumpsuit raised her arm immediately after the question was asked. The instructor nodded to her, expecting a straight to the point answer. "Yes Akiho?"

The girl grinned broadly and stood up. "The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi died nine years ago in an act of ultimate sacrifice, sealing the Chakra Beast, Kyuubi. Formerly, my father was supposed to seal the beast and die in the process. However the Third Hokage intervened and performed the act of sealing himself. Using a powerful sealing technique, he sealed half of the beast's Chakra within himself, and before the death took him he sealed the other half into an infant. Me." The girl proudly answered and sat down.

The knowledge about Namikaze Akiho being a container of the Kyuubi, and the events that occurred during that night was spread rather nonchalantly. The Elemental Nations, mainly Iwa and Kumo, were already hesitant about attacking Konoha because of the Fourth Hokage and his techniques. The fact that Konoha had a Kyuubi Jinchuuriki at their disposal, successfully ensured the end of any threats from the two military villages.

Naruto groaned once more after Akiho, his sister, answered. As much as he hated to admit, she was a genius taking after her father. A prodigy. Having inherited her father's intelligence and cunningness, as well as her mother's knack for Ninjutsu, she was truly one of a kind. She held the class' best grades and outperformed everyone in the art of strategy and tactics, having beat everyone, even the teacher and several Chunnin strategists at Shogi.

Naruto was quite the opposite. While his sister was calm, his temper was lethally short. He refused to take any smack from anybody, which often resulted in him beating the living crap out of the other students. Contrary to his sister, he was bad at Ninjutsu. He preferred the hand-to-hand combat, and the sharp weaponry. Ever since he was able to walk and hold a stick in his hands, he spent hours upon hours a day swinging it, and when exhausted to the point where he could not lift one, he would watch other shinobi train.

Naruto yawned when Iruka announced that it was already a time for a lunch break. He stood up lazily and as soon as he started walking down the classroom, he felt something unfamiliar. A grim feeling that sent shivers down his spine. A low, savage growl resonated in the back of his head, and as soon as the sound disappeared, he felt lightheaded and his knees gave away, falling down to the floor. The last thing he saw through his blurred vision was his sister's auburn hair as she shook him, shouting his name before he succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

Naruto felt his consciousness coming back to him. He slowly opened his eyelids, blinking several times to clear his eyes out and found himself staring at the cloud littered sky. Propping himself up, he looked around trying to find out where he is. Not recognizing any of the land, Naruto concluded that he had never seen this place before "Hello? Is anyone here?" He shouted and stood up. He was standing in the middle of a wasteland with no signs of life whatsoever. "Great, where in the fuck am I?" He shouted irritated.

After another set of curses, he heard a loud laugh from behind. It sounded disturbing, but that was only because it was so familiar, as if he had heard himself. He turned around and found himself looking at a blue haired stranger, a man perhaps in his thirties. The man held striking resemblance to Naruto, as his face was very similar to his own. The sharp, predatory jaw with a skull on its side was almost like a mirror reflection of his own, minus the skull. His curiosity rose over the top, however, when he noticed the exact same markings below his eyes, the same green marks present on Naruto's face.

"Who in the flying fuck are you and where the hell am I?" Naruto rudely asked, and the man burst out with laughter that ticked Naruto off. "Stop laughing already, you asshole!"

"The man calmed down after a few seconds. "Damn, that's the same question I asked when I met the old Sage. How true was he saying that you'd inherit my traits." The blue haired stranger gave Naruto a toothy smile. "As for who I am, well, I have no idea if that's biologically or not, but as the damn sage told me, I'm your father, surprise!"

Naruto just stared at him with a blank expression, unsure what to say. He wasn't even sure if this was just an illusion, a dream or reality. "You're fucking kidding me, right?" He blurted out, yet he did not turn down the possibility right away. Even if not his father, which seemed ridiculous, he may perhaps be a relative of his. After all, he had the same jaw-line, eye color and the green marks.

The man shook his head as an answer to Naruto's question. "Nope, I'm Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, the Sixth Espada." The now called Grimmjow introduced himself. He walked up to Naruto such that they were a few feet apart from each other. "What's your name, kid?" He asked, despite knowing that already.

"Name's Naruto." He said bluntly. Grimmjow raised an eyebrow at his surname, or rather the lack of it.

"Just Naruto?"

The boy shrugged. "I guess if you want to pry in I'll say Namikaze Naruto, but I don't really like it. I don't even feel like I'm their son, if you understand what I mean." He added without any care, as if it was obvious.

Grimmjow scratched the back of his head in a though and spoke up. "Well, that's what I expected from you kid." He chuckled, the skull on his chin cackling quietly.

Naruto looked at Grimmjow suspiciously for a second, before moving on. "Mind telling me where we are?" He asked irritated. "And why the hell do you consider yourself as my father?"

"Huh, long story short. I died in a battle, some god of your world, Sage of Six Paths as he called himself, met me and gave me an offer I couldn't refuse." He stopped and cursed under his breath, still remembering the horrific visions of hell. "After we talked a little, he transferred me soul into your psyche, which somehow changed a part of your genes, making me your pops. Funny, isn't it?"

Naruto eyed him for a few seconds. "And you think that I will believe you?" He asked, and Grimmjow nodded with a grin. Naruto groaned and sat down. "At least you're more fun than Minato." He grumbled, receiving a snort of laughter from Grimmjow.

Afterwards, they sat a minute or two in silence until Naruto spoke up. "Uh… Grimmjow? Can I use your surname?" He asked. He disliked being a Namikaze and now he knew the reason. He never was one. In front of him, standing was the closest person to him, him, his true father, or so he hoped. Besides, Grimmjow's surname, Jaegerjaquez, sounded bad ass. At least that's what Naruto thought.

Grimmjow gave him a toothy grin and ruffled the boy's hair. "Not a problem, brat."

Naruto looked at him with an irritated look. "Don't call me a brat!" He shouted, making Grimmjow laugh at his antics. Naruto ignored Grimmjow's laughter and looked around again, eying the barren wasteland. "Deducting from what you said… this is my… soul? It's plain."

Grimmjow went silent for a moment. He looked upwards and sighed, staring at the clouds. "Yeah, it does look plain." He answered in a hushed voice. "Follow me, I have something for you, and you need to tell me what that is."

Naruto nodded and followed Grimmjow up the hill they were upon. After a few minutes, they came upon a small white block with a small green scroll on top of it. Grimmjow grabbed and tossed it to Naruto, who caught it easily. "Now, I have no fucking idea what that is, as I don't know jack shit about your world. Enlighten me perhaps?" Grimmjow said, whispering the last sentence under his breath, which did not go unnoticed by Naruto.

The boy inspected the scroll and opened it. "It's a summoning contract." He muttered, causing Grimmjow to look at him with confusion.

"How do you know that?"

Naruto rolled his eyes and muttered 'idiot', which earned him a punch on the top of his head. He rubbed his sore scalp and explained how he knew about the summoning contracts. "Jiraiya owns one like these, although his is a lot larger and is red. Akiho is supposed to be the next bearer of it." He stopped when he saw the the questioning look on Grimmjow's face. He was about to insult him once again, but decided against it, as that punch really hurt. "That pervert Jiraiya is my godfather, and Akiho is my sister from my mother's side. Anyways, a summoning scroll allows the user to summon an animal to aid him in battle. Jiraiya's contract let's him summon giant toads."

Grimmjow nodded with understanding. "You know how to use it?"

Naruto shook his head. "I do know how to sign it, but I don't know the specific hand-seal for the summoning technique. The pervert wanted me to sign his contract, but I denied just to spite him. I'll have to ask someone in Konoha about it." He sighed and bit his thumb, wincing slightly, letting the blood to seep out. After enough blood flowed out of the wound, he wrote his name and added his new surname. _'Naruto Jaegerjaquez… I like it.'_ He thought with a smile and coiled the scroll.

"Alright! Time for your training regime." Grimmjow said with a grim smile on his face that did not go unnoticed by Naruto, who knew that he was screwed. "When you wake up, you will start doing physical exercises to boost your strength and speed. I will be instructing you when you begin. When you fall asleep, I will give your mind an hour or two to rest and then I'll drag you in here, where we will begin your Arrancar training. And keep in mind that I will beat you to the fucking ground." He finished with such a grim, that Naruto felt his hair stand up on his back.

Naruto shivered and thought about the situation for a brief moment. "What's an Arrancar?" He asked curiously. Wondering if it had something to do with Grimmjow's skull mask and the weird hole in his stomach.

Grimmjow grinned and looked up to the sky. "I'll tell you later brat, you're about to wake up. Find out what this scroll does and we'll talk later." He said, turned around and started walking down the hill.

Naruto shrugged and felt his vision going blurry. "Alright, thanks… dad." He said and closed his eyes, unable to see the smile on Grimmjow's face.

* * *

When Naruto opened his eyes, he saw the white roof of the hospital room. He turned his head to the left and saw three people standing near the bed in which he was lying. His father Minato, or rather funnily enough his now ex-father, his mother Kushina and his sister, all were standing there.

"Naruto-chan, how are you feeling? We're worried about you." Kushina asked, worried about her son's condition. The doctors thankfully found nothing unusual or dangerous, however fainting like he did in the academy was definitely not normal.

Naruto looked at them, glared at Minato for a brief second, and when he sat up he noticed that he was only in his boxers. "I'm fine. Where are my clothes? I'm leaving." He said harshly, as he did not want to be around Minato. Somehow, the slight dislike he always had for the man had grown exponentially after he met Grimmjow.

Minato frowned at Naruto's rude tone. The stinging look he gave him did not go unnoticed either. "Naruto, you just woke up, you can't lea-"

"I asked you where are my clothes? I told you I'm fine, leave me alone." Naruto interrupted rudely with a raised voice, startling the Namikaze family. Minato was about to say something, but Kushina grabbed his arm tightly. He looked at her and saw his wife shake her head. He sighed and motioned to the dresser. Kushina dragged him and Akiho out of the room to give their son some privacy.

As soon as they left, Naruto got out of the bed and opened the dresser, satisfied to find his clothes nicely folded. A simple black T-shirt, a pair of worn out blue jeans and his favorite gray hooded sweatshirt. "Now what was I supposed to do? Ah right, the contract." He snapped his fingers and ventured out of the hospital room.

As he entered the hallway, he noticed that Kushina and his sister were gone, and his way was blocked by Minato. Naruto inwardly groaned, as he had no intention of talking with the man. "Naruto, we need to talk about you." The blond Hokage exclaimed. "What is up with you? Where have I failed as a father, that you act like you don't want to know me? I know that despite your age you're more mature than your sister. So what is it?"

Naruto sighed, he may have been only nine years old, but it true that he felt more mature than his peers. Perhaps Grimmjow's presence within his psyche had something to do with it, just as the presence of Kyuubi in his sister affected her Chakra reserves and control? "Can we talk about this later? I don't want to talk with you right now, and I have a class to attend." The boy answered, trying to avoid the question. He had zero intentions of going back to the academy this day, and since he learned that he is technically not related to Minato, he did not want to keep a bond between them.

Minato nodded after a second, letting the red haired boy walk past him. He observed him as he left the hallway, especially focusing on the blue streaks of his hair. _'What am I supposed to do with him?'_ He thought as he glanced at his reflection in a window, eying his own blond hair.

* * *

Naruto wandered through the streets of Konoha, walking in the direction opposite to the academy. He was looking after a certain person who could perhaps help him, but he had no idea where he could be. _'Where the fuck is that pervert… bingo!'_ He snapped his fingers and changed the direction, now walking lazily towards the hot springs. He arrived at them after half an hour and simply walked in, not bothering to pay the fee, abusing the fact that he was known as the Hokage's son.

"Now where is he…" He said to himself, and not a second later he heard a miserable groan of pain coming from a bush nearby. Naruto rolled his eyes, walked up to the bush and kicked it, receiving another moan of pain and a shaky voice saying something along the lines of "Go away!"

Not bothering to listen, he reached into the bush and dragged the person out of it. It was a man in his late fifties with white spiky hair, clothed in red and green and covered in a lot of cuts and bruises, as well as a branch shoved up his ass. Naruto face palmed at the sight and yanked the branch out of the miserable man. He knew him very well, it was the famous Jiraiya of the Sannin, the Toad Sage and self proclaimed Super Pervert. Despite his shameful hobby of peeping on women in hot springs, noting down the gathered data for his "research", which very often resulted in him being beat up, and despite his silliness, he was a very powerful individual. He was in fact the teacher of Namikaze Minato, and he was the second most powerful person in Konoha. Jiraiya groaned as he shakily stood up. "I thought I would never walk again, thanks a lot brat." He said with a sheepish smile.

Naruto glared at him though. _'Why the hell is everyone calling me a brat?!'_ He thought annoyed. "Listen here pervert, I need your help."

Jiraiya looked down at his savior and his eyes widened in a pleasant surprise. "Oh, it's you Naruto! How have you been? I didn't recognize you at first with that hood on!" He grinned, placing a hand over Naruto's head. "And what do you need help with?"

Naruto swatted the hand away. "I've been better. I wondered if you could tell me the hand-seals for the summoning technique?" He asked.

A wide grin formed on the Sannin's face. "Ho, ho! So you finally decided to sign the Toad's contract? Took you damn long enough!" He laughed and smacked Naruto on his shoulder.

Naruto groaned at the Sannin's stupidity. "I didn't. I just wanted to learn the seals."

Jiraiya stopped laughing instantly and pouted. "That's a shame… Oh well, why not. I see no reason why you shouldn't learn them." He sighed. "First, you need your own blood. Biting your thumb will suffice, then you perform these seals." He muttered and showed him the seals, slowly repeating them until Naruto got them right. "Then you push your Chakra outwards and simply slam your palm down on the ground and let the Ninjutsu do its magic."

Naruto repeated the hand seals several times until he had them down. "Why did you suddenly want to learn them, though?" The Sage asked. He was curious about the kid, and as Minato told him, he should keep an eye on him.

Naruto just gave him a toothy grin, the just like Grimmjow's. "They might come in handy one day. See ya pervert!" Naruto shouted as he ran off to the nearby training ground. Unfortunately for him, Jiraiya knew exactly that the training fields were in that direction. Without another thought, he suppressed his Chakra signature and quietly followed the boy.

* * *

Several minutes later, Naruto entered the training field. It was an old and abandoned training ground that was rarely used due it it being immensely damaged and no one bothered enough to fix it. He walked into the middle of the grounds and bit his thumb, wincing slightly as his teeth broke the skin. He ran through the seals carefully and channeled as much Chakra as he could to his hands and pressed his palms to the ground, whispering the technique's name.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu." He said and felt a large portion of Chakra being drained from his body, making him a little lightheaded. A large poof of smoke exploded from the seals that appeared on the ground, and once it cleared out, Naruto's jaw unhinged itself. In front of him was a human sized panther. It had black fur and a blue stripe on its back, the cat's yellow eyes pierced Naruto with its glare and its tail whipped malevolently. Before Naruto could say or do anything, the panther lunged at him, pinning him to the ground and sunk its fangs into the boys arm shallowly, before letting go of him. Everything in a blink of an eye.

"Argh! What the fuck?!" Naruto yelped as he rolled away from the animal, clutching his arm which surprisingly did not hurt. "What was that for you stupid cat?!" He yelled at the panther that sat in front of him, staring at him with its golden eyes.

 _'That's… unexpected.'_ Naruto heard a voice in his head and instantly recognized it as Grimmjow's. _'Don't act like it hurt.'_ Before Naruto could say a word to Grimmjow, ignoring the fact that the Arrancar was quiet for all this time until now, the panther growled at Naruto.

 ** _"Finally, that took long enough."_** The panther spoke up with a rather feminine voice. **_"I had to mark you first before we could talk, otherwise you would not understand my speech."_**

Naruto's eyes widened for a moment, as he heard the panther growl out something incomprehensible for his ears, yet he understood the feline words as if it spoke to him in his language. "I didn't know there was a summoning contract for panthers…" Naruto said to himself. "and what the hell do you mean long enough? Also why did you pounce like that on me!"

 ** _"Calm down kid, I meant you no harm."_** The panther answered. **_"We've been waiting over nine years for you to summon one of us after the panther contract was created by the Sage. Be careful of what you say though, there are ears everywhere."_** It said, looking to the corner of the clearing where Jiraiya was hiding camouflaged.

 _'H_ _ow the hell did it spot me?'_ Jiraiya thought worried. When he saw the panther pounce upon Naruto, he almost rushed out of his hiding place, but decided against it as the summon let go of Naruto. _'Shit, I have to tell Minato about it!'_ He thought and disappeared with the use of Shunshin, a quick transportation technique.

 ** _"Anyways, my name is Aoshima, I was chosen to be the first one to be summoned by you in order to mark you."_** The now called Aoshima explained.

"So this seal," Naruto began, looking at his arm where a pattern of symbols formed something similar to a head of a panther. "Is that mark? What is it for?"

 ** _"As I said, I needed to mark you, so you would become_** **** ** _one of us. This way the other panthers from the clan will recognize you as our summoner and you will be able to understand our feline speech."_** Aoshima explained briefly. Naruto nodded with understanding and looked at the seal closer. **_"It works as a small storage seal as well, just place anything on top of it, channel your Chakra_** **** ** _and it will be sealed. To unseal it, just grate your fingers over it."_**

"That's… useful I guess." Naruto answered. He was not sure of what to say about all this. "So what now?"

The panther stood up and stretched. **_"Right now I have to go and tell everyone else from the clan that you summoned me, and that you are officially one of us. Keep in mind though, that the other panthers might not be as trusty as me. They may give you a hard time, unless you prove yourself. Now see ya kitten!"_** The panther chuckled before bursting into a plume of smoke, disappearing from the existence.

Naruto got a tick mark on his head whilst Grimmjow was howling with laughter. _'What the hell! First you called me a brat, and now a kitten! I have a fucking name for god's sake. And you shut your laughing!'_ He shouted inwardly to Grimmjow, who merely ignored him and kept laughing.

After several minutes of an uncontrollable laughter, Grimmjow calmed down. _'Oh hell, I needed that laugh, thanks brat.'_ The Arrancar spoke, receiving a single "Shut up" from Naruto. _'Now, let's start your training. We'll begin with your lower body first, then you'll work your way upwards. I want you to warm up first by doing a few laps around the field, then for the rest of the day you will do as many exercises as you can, understand?'_

 _'I swear if this kills me...'_ Naruto grumbled and started jogging, cursing Grimmjow occasionally

 _'Don't worry about that. Now, double time!_

* * *

Several hours and a plentiful of curses later, a completely sore and exhausted Naruto walked into the house where the Namikaze family was living. Although, it looked more like an expensive mansion, than a house. He was completely dirty, every muscle in his body hurt and the only thing he wanted more than anything was a warm meal and a hot shower. He groaned when Grimmjow reminded him that he would train during his sleep as well.

As he headed for the bathroom, he was stopped by an angry Minato, and a worried Kushina. "Naruto, you are three hours late and Jiraiya told me about something very interesting today, explain yourself!" Minato shouted. He was getting very upset by the boy's attitude towards his family.

"I'm late because I was training. What did that pervert tell you again? He grumbled as he walked towards the bathroom doors, taking off his tattered t-shirt in progress.

Kushina gasped when she noticed the markings on the boys arms. She mentioned it to Minato who nodded. The blond Hokage grabbed Naruto by his shoulder and pinned him to the wall. Naruto was already looking at him with fury in his eyes. "Jiraiya told me you asked him for the seals of the summoning technique, and that you summoned a feline. And where the hell did you get that seal from, are you mad?! Explain yourself right now!" Minato shouted. As both a parent and a Hokage, this was no laughing matter. The boy could be under the influence of a foreign shinobi, and he could not take any chances.

Naruto growled and pushed Minato away from him. "The mark on my arm is from the panthers who are my summons, and how I got the summoning contract is none of your fucking business!"

"Watch your mouth!" Kushina shouted at Naruto, smacking his face, fuming. "You won't be speaking like that in this house!" She shouted.

Naruto glared at her, noticing with the corner of his eyes that the auburn haired girl, his sister, was observing the commotion with tears in her eyes. "Fine! Then I won't curse in this damn house as I won't be here anyway!" He shouted back at his parents and ran out of the house, grabbing his t-shirt on the way, leaving his angry parents behind him.

Minato was about to run after him, but Kushina grabbed his arm. "Either comes back or sleeps outside, maybe he'll learn something."

Her husband sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Who did he get this attitude from? If it wasn't for him being born together with Akiho, I'd swear that he isn't my son-GHACK!" Minato winced as Kushina stepped angrily on his foot.

"Even if he behaves like this, you have no right to say that!" She shouted and dragged him by his ear. "Bedroom, now! I have to blow off steam on someone, and you're the one I'm talking about!"

Akiho blushed when she saw the scene and quickly ran back to her room, crying as he thought about her brother and what her father had said.


End file.
